Chicago man sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug crimes in Guernsey County

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Chicago man was sentenced in federal court here today to 240 months in prison for having bulk amounts of narcotics at a Guernsey County hotel.

A federal jury convicted Kenneth D. Triplett, 38, of three narcotics offenses following a trial in May 2025. The crimes include possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in April 2024, the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office received a tip that Triplett was in the county to distribute drugs. Triplett had traveled to Guernsey County with distributable amounts of drugs after being in the Columbus area.

Within 12 hours of receiving the tip, law enforcement observed Triplett's vehicle at a Quality Inn in Cambridge, Ohio, and arrested the defendant nearby. Triplett had an active full extradition warrant for his arrest from Minnesota.

After arresting Triplett, officers searched his hotel room and discovered hidden throughout the room: cocaine and more than 230 grams cocaine base, an open vacuum sealed bag of fentanyl mixed with heroin, and a digital scale.

Triplett's criminal history includes multiple drug convictions in multiple jurisdictions, often rural communities. Sentencing documents also note that Triplett's drug trafficking is tied to at least one nonlethal drug overdose.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler J. Aagard and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.

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